2000
#49,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 399
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Bress
A surname derived from a geographic location or town name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 456 Americans carry the last name Bress. That puts it at #55,632 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 751,654 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bress surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
456
1 in 751,654
Census rank
#55,632
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
398
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 398 bearers of the surname Bress in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55632nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bress, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bress
The surname BRESS originated in Germany, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "bresse," meaning "a break or gap," possibly referring to a person living near a forest clearing or a gap in a hedge or fence.
In its early days, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Bress, Bresse, Bressen, and Bressler, reflecting regional variations and variations in pronunciation. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Würzburg City Records of 1295, where a certain Heinz Bress is mentioned.
The BRESS surname gained prominence in the 16th century, with several notable figures bearing the name. One such individual was Johann Bress (1522-1597), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement in Saxony.
Another notable bearer of the BRESS name was Hans Bress (1554-1638), a German painter and engraver who was famous for his religious and allegorical works. His paintings adorned many churches and monasteries in southern Germany during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, the name BRESS appeared in several historical records, including the Pforzheim Town Registry of 1623, which listed a family named Bress among the residents of the town. Around this time, the name also gained a foothold in Switzerland, with the Bress family being documented in the Canton of Bern.
As the centuries passed, the BRESS name continued to spread across Europe, with notable individuals emerging in various fields. One such figure was Friedrich Bress (1789-1867), a German philosopher and educator who wrote extensively on the importance of early childhood education and the development of moral character.
Another prominent bearer of the BRESS name was Karl Bress (1857-1929), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and public spaces in Berlin and other German cities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Throughout its history, the BRESS surname has been associated with various occupations, from theologians and artists to educators and architects, reflecting the diverse contributions of those who bore this name to their respective societies and fields of endeavor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bress
Among Census respondents with the surname Bress, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bress bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bress surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 324
- Black or African American10.8% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 10
- Two or more races2.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bress
Bress appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#58,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 344
-55 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 9,405 places
2020
#55,632
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 398
+54 bearers (+15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 3,244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49,471 | 399 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,876 | 344 | 0.12 | -55 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 9,405 places |
| 2020 | #55,632 | 398 | 0.13 | +54 bearers (+15.7%) | Up 3,244 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bress surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #58,876 | #55,632 | 5.5% |
| Count | 344 | 398 | 15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.13 | 11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bress bearers went from 344 to 398 (+15.7% change). The surname moved up 3,244 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,876 to #55,632.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bress
FAQ
Bress surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bress?
Name Census estimates that about 456 living Americans carry the surname Bress. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 751,654 residents.
How common is Bress?
Bress ranks #55,632 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 398 people with the surname Bress. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bress.
Has Bress become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bress went from 344 recorded bearers to 398. That is an increase of 54 (+15.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #58,876 to #55,632.
What does the Census say about the background of Bress?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bress, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bress in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (324 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bress appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (10.8%), Hispanic (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bress (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bress mean?
A surname derived from a geographic location or town name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bress (0.13 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Bress?
Find out how many people are called Bress on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.